It became a punchline in the latter half of the twentieth century, but a good, traditional fruitcake recipe is no joke. Often considered a Christmas dessert, fruitcake has a rich history, with cooks in various corners of Europe baking breads with candied fruit and spices in the early Middle Ages. Variations abound, from German stollen to Italian panettone to British Dundee cakes and plum pudding to Caribbean black cake to Scotland’s pastry-wrapped, citron-studded black bun cake, often served on New Year’s Eve and Day.
This cake recipe requires advance planning to allow the soaked fruit time to macerate, but the prep time is otherwise minimal. It’s easy to customize, too. Swap a tablespoon of vanilla extract for the rum in the apricot glaze. Use dried cranberries, apples, chopped prunes, or any mix of dried fruits instead of raisins and currants; and candied pineapple, or lemon or orange peel, for the glacéed cherries and angelica. Mix in a dash of ground allspice, cinnamon, or cardamom with the dry ingredients, or stir a handful of dark chocolate chips into the cake batter with the nuts.
The rare baked good with a shelf life, traditional fruitcake lasts at room temperature for up to six months (though we recommend no longer than two). It doesn’t need to be stored in an airtight container, but it should be kept in a cool, dry place, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
Recipe information
Total Time
15 hours plus cooling
Yield
20 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Combine 2 cups diced candied mixed fruits, 2 cups golden raisins, 1½ cups dried currants, 1 cup dark raisins, ½ cup chopped candied angelica, and ½ cup halved candied red cherries in a large bowl. Pour ¾ cup dark rum over; toss to combine. Cover fruit mixture and let sit at room temperature 12 hours.
Step 2
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat oven to 300°. Toast 1 cup blanched almonds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until slightly darkened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then finely grind in spice mill.
Step 3
Butter springform pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper; butter parchment. Sift together 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, ½ tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, and ¼ tsp. ground ginger in a small bowl.
Step 4
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, and 1 cup (packed; 200 g) brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 4 large eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Strain fruit soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into bowl with butter mixture; beat to combine. Pat fruit mixture dry with paper towels, then toss with ⅓ cup of the flour mixture in another small bowl. Add remaining flour mixture to bowl with butter mixture in 4 additions, folding with a rubber spatula just until incorporated after each addition. Fold in fruit mixture, ground almonds, and ½ cup chopped raw walnuts or pecans just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top.
Step 5
Fill 2 loaf pans with hot water and set in oven on opposite sides of rack; set springform pan in between. Bake fruitcake 1 hour. Lightly beat remaining 1 large egg in a clean small bowl, then brush over cake. Return fruitcake to oven; bake another 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 30 minutes. Remove sides from pan and invert fruitcake onto rack; carefully remove pan bottom and parchment. Turn cake right side up and let cool completely.
Step 6
Meanwhile, bring ½ cup apricot jam and remaining 1 Tbsp. dark rum to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Strain through a clean fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof small bowl, pressing on solids; discard solids. Let apricot glaze cool slightly.
Step 7
Decorate fruitcake with candied angelica and candied red cherries as desired. Brush top of cake with some apricot glaze (save remaining glaze for another use).
Do Ahead: Cake can be made 2 months ahead. Wrap in plastic, then foil, and store at room temperature.
Editor’s note: This fruitcake recipe was first printed in the December 1991 issue of ‘Gourmet’ as ‘Christmas Fruitcake.’ Head this way for our best Christmas desserts →
Recipe notes
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